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5 Magical

1 2 Metropolis BARCELONA, in northeast Spain, is one of Europe’s biggest tourist magnets. Annette Lavrijsen, who recently moved there, has discovered what makes the coastal city so attractive. 6 text Annette Lavrijsen

“I’M SO HAPPY for you both, this is the best city in the world.” For a second, I thought she would burst into tears of joy, but my mother-in-law simply turned her head and gazed in the direction of the Mediterranean Sea. Having eaten Sunday lunch, we were having coffee on the balcony, which also looks out onto the mountains, in the midst of which are the city’s elegant apartment blocks intersected by wide avenues and, in the distance, the heavenly towers and cranes of the Sagrada Família church. “Surely everyone living here would describe this place in the same way?” I thought to myself as I leaned over the balustrade and watched the whirling leaves on the street announcing the arrival of winter. By the time spring kicked in, we had moved into a small apartment in Barcelona’s centre, where I became engrossed in architecture, food culture and unapologetic creativity. >

1. Outdoor cafés at Plaça Reial 2. Windows of Plaza Batlló 3. Spanish tiles 4. A tourist at Avinguda Diagonal 5. Sunrise at Barceloneta beach 6. Art Deco pharmacy at la Rambla 7. Rooftop of Casa Milà with a view on the Sagrada Família 3 4 7 Robert Harding, Matteo Colombo, Stocksy Colombo, Matteo Robert Harding, 54 /TRAVEL /Barcelona and thepresent, Barcelona’s urban landscape isoftendescribedasmagical. via theelegant Passeig deGràcia, where you can findthechic glass and ceramic, and undulating roof representingglass andceramic, andundulating roof brands, suchasMassimoDuttiandZara. Louis Vuitton, Chanel Spanish andHermès, next toflagship stores of with a quaint church and locals chatting in the shade of thetrees.with aquaintchurch andlocals chatting intheshadeof event) andPlaçadelaVirreina, which evokes aflavour the old Gràcia, of the clocktower initscentre (where you mightstumble uponalive music squares arethe mostcharming thePlaçadeRiusiTaulet, recognisable by beerandsometapas.for BesidesthePlaçadel acoffeeorglassof Sol, brac shops andvegan bakeries themany –andsitdown squares at oneof through thenarrow streets –linedby small artisanworkshops, bric-a- Barcelona, hasfewer tourists, which guarantees arelaxed vibe. Wander thehippestandmostartisticin town Thearea, currently charm. oneof former village that was engulfedby the citybut haspreserved itssmall- Sol” inGoogle Maps andfollow theroute downhill through Gràcia, a aforementioned Sagrada Família (Carrer deMallorca, 401) may behismostoriginal achievement. Gaudí’s masterpieceisundeniably the out; bookyour tickets inadvance for alookinside. hisdream. thebasilicaawaiting Don’t miss thecompletionof crypt of until hewas hitby atram anddiedin1926.Sincethen,herests inthe hislife,which living hededicated asarecluse inthebuilding 16years of Gòtico 8. The cable car to Mount Montjuïc 9. Close-up ofafountain to at car Gòtico Plaça cable 8.The Mount Montjuïc Reial 9.Close-up at4. Restaurants Plaça Reial 5.Bike lane6.Park Güell 7.Anarrow street inthe Barrio terrace1. Empty onthe beach 2.Sagrada Família 3.Agirl with abicycle downtown created it. hallucinogensto believe that Gaudíwaswhen he undertheinfluenceof with colourfulmosaicanimals androck-covered pathways have ledsome so mystical that you needtoseeitbelieve it.Thefairy-tale gardens theSierra deCollserola mountainrange,Güell, ontheslopesof which is 18)completedtowers. the7(of Anotherunfinishedgemis Park views of 390, andtake thelifttorooftop terrace for acocktailandincredible Or walk afew blocks uptoAyre Hotel Rossellón onCarrer deRosseló the eccentricarchitect AntoniGaudí(1852-1926),who was at the creativity, eacharea hasadistinctidentity. former industrial districtthat isnow ahubfor innovation and rated, multi-hued façadesandluxuryboutiques–ElPoblenou, the ancient cathedral –tothedistinguishedEixamplewithitsrichly deco- bourhoods. From theBarrioGòtico–withitsenchantingalleyways and providesof thecentral neigh- efficientaccesstothespellbinding streets The underground Europe’s transport network, which isoneof best, Batlló (Passeig deGràcia 43),withitspolychrome thecity’s mosticoniclandmarks. someof led tothecreation Casa of structures innature, hewas apioneerinhisfield, andhisdreamlike work Catalan Modernism.Takingof inspiration from thecolours, shapes and are dottedacross thecity. thesesprouted from Many theimagination of Central threads are themodernistbuildings, parks andstreet lampsthat architecture,Being adornedwithbrilliantworks bothfrom of thepast ARCHITECTURAL WONDERLAND From Gràcia, it’s aneasywalk tothemore central Eixampledistrict, After visitingthistourismhotspot,you may want toenter“Plaçadel CREATIVE CHARM > façade decorated with a

mythical dragon, , abasilicato boutiques of boutiques of forefront of of coffee or a glass of beer coffee beer oraglass of the many squares for a down to the beach. Carretera deMiramar, 38 dinner hours istodinner hours have amerienda around 6 p.m., traditionally consisting ofhot chocolate “Sit down at one of “Sit down atoneof and asweet snack. The cakes are legendary Have lunch here andenjoy someofthe best decorated living area, complete with kitchen and rooftop poolthat panoramic views offer team chefs artisans. ofdesigners, andlocal Share apaella at this contemporary classic, cool crowd hangs out. The best wayThe best to copewith Barcelona’s late A homeaway from homewith anelegantly Go here forinEixample. cocktails the best and sometapas” views ofthe city. your walk Afterwards, off 1869, which was brought back to life by a At the weekends this isaplace where the A five-star hotel spa, bar A five-star with aluxury sky meal onMontjuïc andtake car the cable on the groundfloor ofHotel W. Paseo del C/ Consellers, 4 barinEl Born.cocktail C/Consellers, Located building from inaneoclassical For amore intimate this experience try Collage Art & Cocktail Social Club Social &Cocktail Collage Art here. and library. Paseo 46 deGracia, across the city. 30 Laietana, Via Passatge de la Concepció, 12 delaConcepció, Passatge Rambla deCatalunya, 102 martinezbarcelona.com collagecocktailbar.com grandhotelcentral.com pasteleriasmauri.com Mare Nostrum 19/21 Gran Via de les Corts Corts deles Gran Via WHERE TO SLEEP Hotel GrandCentral grupotragaluz.com WHERE TO EAT Terraza Martínez margothouse.es casabonay.com bocagrande.cat bocagrande.cat Catalanes, 700 Catalanes, Margot House Boca Grande Boca Casa BonayCasa Pez Vela Mauri

Robert Harding, Stocksy, Getty Images, Alamy 6 5 1 7 2 4 9 8 3 TRAVEL /55 56 / TRAVEL / Barcelona TRAVEL / 57

“It didn’t take long for me to find out that life in Barcelona revolves URBAN BEACHES around food” Blessed with a Mediterranean climate, Barcelona has soft winters and sunny days most of the year, which are probably best enjoyed on the Barceloneta seafront. Once the home of fishermen, this area now offers 1,100 m of sandy beaches, surf rentals and xiringuitos (beach bars) as the main attractions for visitors. THINGS TO DO Shelter from the sun can be found in Barceloneta’s back streets, where • Watch a flamenco show or music concert at you’ll walk under a ceiling of drying clothes and eat like a king in the 1 2 the Palau de la Música Catalana, which is plethora of traditional bars and restaurants. All-time favourites are Bar beautiful inside and out (palaumusica.cat). Bitácora and Bar Jai-Ca, where you’ll find reasonably priced tapas and good vibes, and seafood restaurant Montolio Can Maño. Or follow the • To avoid the flocks of tourists, book the first scent of fried fish and find yourself a spot in La Cova Fumada, an old- walking tour of the day (most are for free) and school bodega that is known for its oily pa amb tomàquet (tomato bread) explore the Barrio Gòtico at its best. Highlights and the tastiest bombas (breaded potato and meat balls served with aioli are the Plaça de Sant Felip Neri, Plaça Reial and brava sauces) in town. It’s greasy, but good. and the old Jewish street Sant Domènec del Call, which has recently been renamed Carrer FOODIE HAVEN de Salomó Ben Adret. It didn’t take long for me to find out that life in Barcelona revolves around food. Conversations among friends or relatives always seem to • Visit the stadium of the legendary football club end up with a discussion on what, where and how to eat. I wonder if FC Barcelona or, in short, Barça. However, there’s a causal relation with the astoundingly high density of restaurants never say “Barça” when you mean the city of that, apart from the tourist traps around La Rambla, mostly offer good Barcelona, lest you want to come across as a quality for a very decent price. A smart option is the three-course menu guiri (ignorant tourist). del dia, which usually costs between US$12-18 (including a drink), and is often outstanding. 3 4 • The Picasso Museum is the city’s most Whereas the choice in modern international cuisine is increasing, famous museum, but just as interesting are most restaurants still serve traditional fare, as defined by the many the Fundácio Joan Miró, showing works by migrants from other regions in Spain. Worth a try are the Catalan butifarra the Catalan artist and more contemporary (sausage) and arroz negro (black rice), Galician seafood, Andalusian surrealists, and the CaixaForum Barcelona, tapas, Basque pintxos (small snacks) and Asturian meat stews and cheeses. an odd mashup of a warehouse and a castle Streets that are well-known for their food scene are Carrer d’Enric by modernist architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch, Granados, a semi-pedestrianised oasis a stone’s throw from Eixample’s boasting epic seasonal shows loaned from the most-visited monuments; the unpretentious Carrer de Blai in Poble-Sec, world’s most important museums. For shows which is the place for a midday vermouth and some pintxos; and the see: museupicasso.bcn.cat, fmirobcn.org and streets around the Santa Caterina market in El Born. caixaforum.es/barcelona. With a vast array of wine and cocktail bars, El Born is famous for its cosmopolitan nightlife. But, just as interesting, is the wide range of concept • Explore El Poblenou, a district buzzing with stores, art galleries and local designer shops, where you can find unique, creativity. Highlights are the Design Museum custom-made pieces by Barcelona’s creatives. El Born’s main shopping of Barcelona and Torre Glòries, La Rambla del streets are Carrer de la Princesa and Carrer de l’Argenteria. Don’t forget Poblenou, and the Palo Alto artistic colony, to browse the little streets for the most special gems. 5 which often organises food markets at the weekend. THE WHOLE PACKAGE 8 In addition to what I’ve mentioned above, probably one of the best things about Barcelona is its convenient location – with easy flight connections to all major European cities – and close proximity to the Mediterranean Sea and mountains. A while ago, I was having dinner with a friend who described his day to me: he had woken up early to go skiing in the Pyrenees, stopped on the way back to take a dip in the sea, and went shopping in Passeig de Gràcia before meeting me for a relaxed dinner. All in one day! I expect that it won’t be long before I start telling people that Barcelona is the best city in the world.

1. Street light with Catalan colours 2. Interior view of the Sagrada Família 3. Quimet and Kenya Airways operates flights to Barcelona Quimet tapas bar 4. Street in the Old City 5. Torre Glòries (formally Torre Agbar) marks via Amsterdam from Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta the gateway to Barcelona’s technological district 6. Light and ceiling inside Casa Batlló International Airport. 7. A paddle board 8. La Boqueria Market 9. A restaurant menu in the Barrio Gòtico 6 7 9 Robert Harding, Stocksy, Getty Images Stocksy, Robert Harding,